Between Us

“You need more than your daughter taking naps with you.”

“I thought you said that you liked sleeping with me.”

“I did but-”

I didn’t want her to tell me to stop wanting to be with her. I cut her off before she could say any more. “We have to hurry if we want to go for that drive,” I said closing the door behind me.

My shower was long, just as Erin had predicted. It was filled with fantasies of my daughter. When I finally left the bathroom, I slipped into my clothes, deciding that a pair of jeans and a white tank-top would be fine. I hurried into my worn black boots, then rushed down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, I saw Erin still wearing her nightclothes. I stood in the threshold, marveling at how sexy she looked in her underwear.

Erin turned around with a plate of fresh cut fruit in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. She jumped with start as she saw me standing there. “Dammit, Daddy,” she chuckled while shaking her head. “You scared me.”

“Sorry, baby,” I said offering a smile. As she passed me, I asked, “Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

Setting her plate down at the table, Erin could not help but, tease me. “I should be ready by now ; shouldn’t I? Lord knows, you gave me enough time while you were taking one of your marathon showers.” Shaking her head, she looked me over. “That girl is going to have a hard time with you.”

“I hope so.”

I sat down at the table, watching her standing beside me as she put her hair up. “So why aren’t you dressed again?”

“I got hungry so I decided to make something to eat first.”

Erin smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. She walked out of the breakfast room, heading back into the kitchen. Removing a plate from the oven, where she had been keeping it warm, she asked, “Are you hungry?”

Snagging a strawberry from her plate, I took a large bite. “Starving,” I said with a mouthful of her food.

Erin slapped my hand playfully. “Leave that alone. I made you something.”

I looked down at the plate which was being set down in front of me. Eggs and bacon made me wonder where she learned to cook. She certainly didn’t get it from me, I thought.

Erin took hold of my wrist guiding my hand, which was still holding the strawberry, to her mouth. She bit into the last of the strawberry, then asked,”Do you want coffee?”

“You make coffee, too? That’s it. I’m never letting you leave.”

Taking me by the chin, she kissed me sweetly. I followed her with my eyes as she walked back into the kitchen. Licking my lips, I could taste a few droplets from the strawberry. When she sat a mug of coffee in front of me, I was a bit surprised.

“You know how I like my coffee?”

“I pay attention,” she said, sitting down to eat.

During our very late breakfast, I did all I could to prolong our meal. I kept the conversation going in the hopes that she would remain in next to nothing just a bit longer.

From behind my cup of coffee, I studied her legs which she had tucked underneath her body. I thought she looked beautiful with her head bent down as she looked through her magazine, lazily turning the pages.

Erin bit into a thin slice of cantaloupe. She dipped it in the small cup of cream on her plate before panning her hand until it was directly in front of my lips. A smirk dawned her lips as I bit into it. “Happy, now?”

I nodded, doing my best not to laugh.

My cinnamon-skinned infatuation looked at me then chuckled happily.

“What?” I asked, wondering why she was laughing.

Erin pointed at my mouth. “You have. . .uh, there just a bit of cream. . .”

“Where?”

My daughter moved to wipe it away as my tongue ran across my lips. I felt the tip of my tongue slide over her thumb surprising each of us.

Erin brought her thumb to her lips, licking away the last of the whipped cream. The shy smile on her face made me burn with curiosity.

“What is it?” I asked.

After a moment of talking herself into saying what was on her mind, she answered. “You taste like coffee.” Rising from her seat, she moved to leave.

“Where are you going?” For a moment, I thought that I might have scared her away.

“I’m going to take a shower and get ready.”

“A long shower?” I joked.

Erin gave me a playful wink. “Time me.”

Now, Erin had been kidding. I knew that but, I kept catching myself glancing repeatedly at the clock. I had to stop myself from rushing to join her in the shower. Exactly forty-five minutes later, I made my way to the end of the stairs calling up to my daughter. “Erin, are you ready to go?”

I reached for my keys on the stand near the front door. When I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, I went to meet her. I felt my jaw drop as she stopped in front of me.

Erin was wearing a denim dress that was cut very high on the thigh, showing off her tan legs. My mind went over how easy it would be to take hold of her in that dress and rip the buttons open. There would not be a problem with the snaps coming apart to welcome me.

Brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, I said, “You look beautiful, baby.”

I noticed the slight blush that touched her cheeks. Offering her my arm, I motioned for us to leave.

Once we were on the open road, I could see how happy Erin was with me. With the top to my 1965 Porsche down, we joked and flirted in our usual fashion but, this time was different. Before in moments like these, it was just two friends playing with one another but, now, I wanted to be more than just her friend, more than just her father. I wanted to be her lover. I wanted her to love me the way that I loved her.

We had been driving for hours. The coast was everywhere we looked. It was the perfect day to go for a swim but, I didn’t have the courage to suggest it. Luckily, Erin was reading my thoughts.

“Hey,” she said over the wind. “Do you want to go for a swim?”

“I didn’t bring my trunks,” I told her.

“Well, I don’t have my swimsuit so we can go au natural.”

I must have looked like a fish with my mouth gapping open the way it was. Whatever I looked like, Erin laughed and kissed my cheek.

“Daddy, I’m kidding,” she said. “We can just buy something in one of the stores along the beach.”

Nodding, I tried to calm my desire to be with her.

Together, we walked down the boardwalk, looking for a place to buy a swimsuit. I found a pair of black trunks that I liked without too much fuss but, Erin was a different story entirely. She had to try on several swimsuits, refusing to buy just any swimsuit. Of course, I did not mind her modeling all of them for me, then asking me my opinion. Although, I did pretend to be miserable in the waiting area. In truth, I prayed that she would take as long as she could to delay our leaving the store. I was desperate to see more of her. Some of the swimsuits that she modeled for me were so risque that I was certain that she would recognize my arousal.

Finally, after countless swimsuits, Erin said, “I think I found it.”

“Well, let me see it,” I groaned. Although, internally, I could not wait to see her come out again.

Stepping out of the dressing room, Erin wore a red two-piece that left me speechless. “Well?” she asked spinning so that I could see her.

I forced myself to say something. “What is it?”

“It’s called a tankini.”

“A what?” I commanded my erection to go down with a great deal of effort.

“A tankini. You know, a tank top and bikini bottoms.”

Erin walked over to the mirrors, looking at the way it fit from different angles.

I marveled at the top, loving the way that the fabric stretched painfully over her full breasts. My mouth wanted nothing more than to take her hardened nipples into it. I let my eyes lower, moving over her flattened stomach and lower still. Looking down at the bikini bottoms, I noticed the tiny strings tying it closed over her hips.

My imagination drifted back to the night before. If she had been wearing something that tied up like that, I would not have been able to resist untying them, when she was in my bed.

“Should I get it?” she asked absently.

“Yes!”

Brown eyes shifted from her image in the mirror to the man that she could see sitting behind her. Erin took in the way that I was looking at her. “Do you like it that much, love?”

Trying to save face, I said, “I only meant that. . .um, you should buy something. I mean, we’ve been here for hours and it’s almost sunset. The day’s almost over, baby.”

Her shoulders sank, making me feel like a cad. It had not been my intent to make her feel bad. I quickly moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“I didn’t realize that I had wasted so much of our day,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, love.”

I stared into the brown eyes watching me through the mirror. “Our day hasn’t been wasted. I’ve loved every second of it.”

Erin’s face brightened. “Have you? I mean, you aren’t just saying that; are you?”

The saleswoman smiled warmly at us as she walked beside us. “Have you made a decision?”